‘Revenge of the Nerds’ Star Robert Carradine Dies at 71 – Cause of Death Revealed

His brother, Keith Carradine, also spoke candidly about the illness, “We want people to know it, and there is no shame in it. It is an illness that got the best of him, and I want to celebrate him for his struggle with it and celebrate his beautiful soul. He was profoundly gifted, and we will miss him every day.”

He added that their family would remember Robert for his humor, wisdom, and deep acceptance of others. “That’s who my baby brother was,” Keith recalled.

Troubled Marriage and Shocking Allegations

Robert is survived by his children, grandchildren, brothers, nieces, and nephews, along with many others whose lives he touched. In 1974, he welcomed a daughter, actress Ever Carradine, with Susan Snyder.

He raised Ever as a single father until 1990, when he met Edith Mani, and the couple went on to have two more children, Marika and Ian. Sadly, things between Robert and Edith took a sour turn.

As they parted ways, Edith claimed that the actor attempted to kill them both during a March 2015 car crash. According to court documents, Edith said Robert “confessed to me and our two children that he deliberately drove into the truck to kill us both” after she confronted him about the incident.

She alleged that while driving on a Colorado highway, he veered across lanes and into an oncoming semi-truck. Robert, however, maintained that he had been in a state of “acute psychosis” at the time, claiming Edith had cut off his bipolar medication.

He also alleged that she had urged him to drive that day. In the same court filings, Edith disputed that version of events, stating, “Bobby is an experienced professional race car driver,” and adding, “He was awake and alert” at the time of the crash.

The couple, who married in 1990, both sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and the truck driver was unharmed. Edith further alleged that the crash stemmed from Robert’s depression following the 2009 death of his brother, David Carradine.

In the documents, she stated that Robert had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and hospitalized twice after multiple episodes. Amid concerns about his mental state, Edith also sought possession of Robert’s 17 guns, citing fears that he was “capable of hurting himself or others.”

Daughter’s Emotional Tribute Reveals the Man Behind the Fame

Even as his battle with mental illness strained his relationships, family remained at the heart of Robert’s life. This was evident in how his daughter spoke of him.

In an emotional tribute shared on Instagram, Ever honored her father, Robert, alongside a series of photos spanning their lives together — from images of her as a toddler in his arms to more recent moments as an adult by his side.

She penned, “My dad died today. My sweet, funny dad, who’s only 20 years older than I am, who never missed an opportunity to drive me to the airport or tell me how much he loved my homemade salad dressing, is gone.”

According to Ever, anyone who knew her father understood that he was the kind of person who always showed up. A dinner invitation was enough for Robert to be there. A Little League game in Simi Valley only required a game time. Even a late-night flight pickup was handled with ease — she would just text him her column number after collecting her bags.

She acknowledged that being raised in the 1970s and 1980s by a single dad in Laurel Canyon might not seem like the formula for a steady upbringing, yet hers was.

“Whenever anyone asks me how I turned out so normal, I always tell them it’s because of my dad. I knew my dad loved me, I knew it deep in my bones, and I always knew he had my back,” she said.